The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1887-10-18
SAWNEY BEANIE
The Head of a Family of Can
nibalS.
A STORY OF KING JAMES'S TINE.


by one Sawney Beane, Scotchman, in the
reign of King James, the First, before that
monarch came to the crown Of England, by
the death Of Queen Elizabeth. Sawney Beane
was born about eight or nine miles eastward of
the city Of Edinburgh, in the county of East
Lothian, Of parents who went hedging and
ditching for their daily bread and who brought
up their child to the same occupation. AS he
grew up, his disposition to idleness not permit
ting him TO follow an honorable employment
he left his father and mother and ran into the
country, where, following most wicked
course of life, and taking up with woman as
vicious as himself, they took up their abode in
6 rock by the seaside, on the Shore of Shire
Galloway, where they lived for upward of
twenty-five years. During that time they had
both children and grandchildren, whom they
brought up so wickedly that they never sepa-
rated Eeptno other company and supported
themselves entirely by robbing.
What was worse, they never COM
mitted a robbery without murder. They
never frequented any market for provisions,
but as soon as they murdered any man, woman
or child, they did not leave the body behind,
but carried it to their den, whore, cutting it up
into quarters they would pickle them and live
upon human flesh till they got another prey of
the same kind. But they had generally more
than they could consume, and in the night
time, but at a great distance from their san
culinary mansion, they threw legs and arms of
some Of those they had killed into the sea,
which the tide frequently cast up at several
parts of the country to the great astonIshment
Of the boholders. Persons who went about
their lawful occupations fell often into the
hands of these merciless cannibals and never
returned home again.
This raised a general cutlery among their
friends and relatives, nsomuch that the whole
country was alarmed at such great and nlys-
ferrous loss of people, which frequently hap
peued in travelling into the west of Scotland
Private spies We're sent out into all parts, TO
find out, if possible, how these meXplainaJle
events happened. For length Of time their
strictcSt searches and inquiries were to no par
pose. However, several honest travellers were
taken up upon suspicion and Wrongfully hanged
upon bare circumstances, besides several inno-
cent innkCepers who were also executed for
no other reason than that persons who hads
been thus lost were known to have lain in
their houses, and were supposed to have
been robbed and murdered by them. and their
bodies privately buried in obscure places. To
such an extent was this carried that several
lnnlIccpeTS on the western road of Scotland
left OFF their business for fear of being made
like examples, and followed other employ
ments, so that travellers were put to many in
conyenlcncos for want of accommodations.
however aI'et several had peeh executed
and no one made any confession on the gal
lows, but all declared that they were innocent
Of me crimes lof when they dcd, tins rigorous
way OF proceeding was given up.
Sawney Beane, with his wife, children sind
sIahuCHlaIcn' sun pursued thelr bafbarlous
@cslHs wan lmpunlE' BENG somewhat nu-
LneIous, tney would atVacK Jour-, AYe or SIX
men tosethet II they were on 1901. AS Tor
hotsehell, TWO were the most they would set
on ana lleh "lIn soch caution that an am
ousc@de was l9ld 10 secure theIn' ride winch
W. tISS ."ouiu, pro- lt4eu lAdC one OF poth
m,3ne thelr escape rom tne niSt aSsallahtS-
dne pace was soiitaIy Where these cahhlDals
~, 'ln9 WlieIi me llue came up me water
- ng"ll& l%o Huhuieq Yarua mo thelF SUD
p1if"uean hdOitatloh, Wllch reached almost
80, .'ia,,ot 49, II Cheg were
~ !; ~. ~ I oy any person, IL was
i NJ ~ nc VIC; Ic9sH SusPec'ou tudU any human
~ N q GI:in"i pace Inc
HcuI"SI VI PeOPIe my Hdu hlIleu was not e&-
10y hhoMH pue II " 10 IGcholSu IhaV N the
-; ~ STt'i9 tn,'U my Hau coi5lHucu
- ttiL;'Il my H"u Washed 'iielf
!'i,'' - 0'1o p!I ~ VI 1po'coAe lHoUStiio men,
"0tllCn aliu CliI.'leH'
:, ~ lts1 ''e discovery OF the cahnlpals was
, Iiaae' y man ana ms Wlle VINO was be-
iliI'c illi Oh VIC same nurse cohNlS one even
llIS Iioiti q l'Ii' "ili t"'luS nito me aihpdS-
C1ao Oh 'hese lhefcllesS MfetcheS, Jhey lei
upon tiieln III ine most lUrlouS manner. Inc
man 10 save himself as well as lie could,
iouSht bravery against them with sword and
pistol, riding some OF them down by main
force OF ms horse, from which his wife IN the
conflict iel on she was instantly murdered
peIore inc huspandS lace, ana the lemaie
GaInIhals forthwith cut her throat, sucking
her blood with as great a gusto as II 1t had
been VINE Ihey even usemb9Weled her anu
pulled out al hef ehtraus, which unparaleled
bafoanty made the poor man make still
more obstinate resistance, ne expecting the
same late II he iell INTO inc hands OF ms as
salantS IfoNldentlaiiy 1t happened that
about twenty or thirty passengers were riding
that way irom the same ialr WhCh he ned at
tended, and SaWney Became and his blood
thirsty cian withdrew, making the best OF
their way through a solitary wood, and so re-
tired to their den.
The attacked man, VINO was the hrst to
escape awe after ialIlng INTO the hands OF the
cannibals, told the passengers what had hap
pened and showed Them the bloody spectacle
OF his Wife, whom the murderers had dragged
some distance OIL The sight struck them all
with Stupeiact'on ana amaAement. Ihey car
red him to Glasgow, and relating the matter
to the provost OF that city, he Immediately
sent to the king concerning the matter. In
three or four days KING James came in person
to where the Beanes had their abode, he being
desirous o! seeing the apprehension OF this
Nlt.F.a nsHNt. tsl hoo